


Long Way Home

by mpatientdreamr



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Jossverse
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-15
Updated: 2012-07-15
Packaged: 2017-11-10 00:42:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/460346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mpatientdreamr/pseuds/mpatientdreamr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one believed that anyone or anything lived on Shadow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Long Way Home

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Kendra/Zoe

Captain had decided that they needed a little down time after Miranda and what all happened on Mr. Universe’s moon. Zoe couldn’t say as she disagreed but she was dead certain she didn’t agree with his plan after that point. 

Zoe was a little concerned that maybe a few of those whacks he took to the head from the Operative had scrambled his brains. Or maybe her head was the one that was scrambled. That was the only way she could figure that she’d given the green light to come here. 

None of the rest of the crew believed that anyone or anything lived on Shadow. Hell, none of the rest of the worlds did. They were wrong. Oh, Mal’s family had died when the Purple bellies had blitzed the place but Zoe’s people lived in a different part of the planet. Actually, they lived _under_ the topside of the planet. Now that the topside was uninhabitable, her people were just fine with letting others think that no one was there. They spent most of their time flitting through the black instead of holed up underground, anyway.

River piloted Serenity deep, deep into the bowels of the planet, the ship almost too big to fit through a few of the passages. But finally, she started the final decent that was a straight drop down a shaft.

All the others crowded around as the hatch lowered and they stepped out into darkness. Shadow was aptly named, especially so deep below the surface. 

The sound of a bullet being chambered had everyone tensing and Jayne reaching for his gun.

“Din I tell ya not ta be bringin’ that fool man around here, bébé?” A lilting voice came out of the dark. 

Zoe sighed. Oh, yeah, she was definitely touched in the head. “Ma, we need a place to rest. Just for a little while. Just until we heal up a little.”

“Hmm,” Zoe’s Ma said, then sighed and the round was unchambered. “Ya Da’s going to be put out wit cha.”

Zoe nodded, face solemn. “Long as he don’t try to shoot the Captain again, we’ll be fine.”

Finally, a pretty woman with dark eyes and café au latte skin stepped forward, gun held steady in her hands. She lowered it and Zoe stepped right into her and began to shake. She wouldn’t cry, couldn’t cry. Not yet. A dark skinned bald man stepped out and hugged the two women to his broad chest. Zoe saw her Uncle slip out of the shadows and begin herding the others away.

“But what about-?” Kaylee started, twisting to see them. Zoe knew that to look at them, they didn’t look nearly old enough to be her parents. Fact was, they never would.

“They fought dark and now they live in it,” River’s voice echoed back, eerie as all get out. “The first and only child born to those of Under Shadow since it was settled, way back before Upper Shadow was settled. Born to Kendra, the Chosen One, and Charles, weapons master. Zoe, Greek for Life, because they know what a gift that is.”


End file.
